Sura Faraj

Faraj is the president of the Riverwest Neighborhood Association, one of the most active neighborhood groups in the city. She is a former real estate broker and owner of Empire Bakers and Commonwealth Realty. Faraj is a founding member of Riverwest Food Co-op, Riverwest Rainbow Association, Milwaukee LGBT Community Center and the Humboldt Yards Coalition. She is the founding publisher of the arts and activist paper, Nerve House, a previous board member of Riverwest Artists’ Association and the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Arab Anti-discrimination Committee. She is active in other local organizations devoted to social justice, the environment and the arts.
Did you know: Faraj once sold a house to Mayor John Norquist.

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Comments (6)

It's great you guys went on line; just one more st...

It's great you guys went on line; just one more step in saving our planet!

Anonymousmore than 9 years ago

Feeble attempts to discredit Sura are evidence tha...

Feeble attempts to discredit Sura are evidence that she is a voice for change, a force with which to be reckoned. She is intelligent and compassionate, a strong leader who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo when change is needed. Without voices protesting for change African-Americans and women would not be able to vote, we would be working 14 hour days, 6-7 days a week, and our country would be composed of British, French and Spanish colonies. Clearly those who hold (or want to hold) what they perceive as power will resist change when they feel that power might be threatened.

Over the past 20 years Sura’s work through various organizations has been for the greater good rather than for self-aggrandizement, as it continues to be today. I know this because I have worked with her on some of these things.

Her dedication to social, neighborhood and city issues and her grassroots efforts laid the foundation upon which several organizations have grown. Sura was one of the first organizers of a little buying club in Riverwest, the precursor to the Riverwest Co-op, back when meetings were held in the concrete-bock garage that was the Riverwest Artists Association, on Fratney.

The Milwaukee Aids Project was just starting up in the late 80’s when Sura volunteered as a Volunteer Coordinator and Emotional Support Volunteer because there was a need in the community and fewer people were stepping up at that point. She went to Outpost and requested a donation barrel for MAP be placed near the door, to collect for their food pantry. That was 20 years ago, and the barrel is still collecting food for people who need it.

The Humboldt Yards Coalition was, and remains, a noble endeavor. It reminds us that resident opinion matters, and that lack of transparency in government process must not go unchallenged.

The time and energy a couple of people put into incorrectly dissecting the minutia of Sura’s bio or criticizing her work in the community could be better spent. When you have the conviction and courage to run for public office or otherwise put yourself on the public firing line, your words might have meaning.

Anonymousmore than 10 years ago

It seems that Sura’s refusal to comply with a simp...

It seems that Sura’s refusal to comply with a simple request from constituents to answer questions speaks volumes. Perhaps she’s afraid of even attempting to respond in a sane, rational mode because it would up set her “base”. Moreover, it would seem that “Sura for Change” means a change for the irrational, unrealistic expectations that a certain segment of the population has of their elected officials. Clearly, after hearing Sura spew her rhetoric, and just going on the belief that she, too, is believing her own inflated ego, it’s enough to calm the pissed off masses who are naive enough to fall for the lie. She cannot change the district into one giant urban farm where there are no taxes, “Police are not wanted” and a group of merry elves will shovel your walk, empty your trash, plow your streets, the river will be a national park, there will never be any more construction in ANYONE’S backyard and everyone will frolic in the flowers together! Sentimental hogwash!! I may digress, but she’s not a serious candidate for this office where, if you want to actually get something done, you have to, at the very least, have the ability to “play well” with your fellow politicians! She doesn’t even live in the district, and you’ll never convince me that she has any intention of moving into it if she were elected! STOP WASTING EVERYONE’S TIME, Ms. Faraj!

Anonymousmore than 9 years ago

3 out of 4 commenters vindicated by history, eh?...

3 out of 4 commenters vindicated by history, eh?

Anonymousmore than 8 years ago

It is easy to jump into a bunch of organizations a...

It is easy to jump into a bunch of organizations and get a tittle (or make a title for yourself, as seems to be the case with Sura) but she has no track record of accomplishments and offers no realistic plans for what she would do if elected. I have watched her repeat the same tired dribble at every forum. She will not be getting my vote.

Anonymousmore than 10 years ago

Corrections and clarifications:

1) The RNA has no...

Corrections and clarifications:

1) The RNA has no president. It has two co-chairs. Ms. Faraj is no longer one of them. She resigned or moved to an at-large position. It is an honorific. No board position has any special voting power in the organization.

2) Empire Bakers was administratively dissolved as a corporation in 1993 as a consequence of filing no annual reports for many years with the State dept. of Financial Institutions. Its registered agent was PAUL WILHITE1313D E RANDOLPH CT.

3) There is no Commonwealth Realty listed in the WDFI corporate records.

4) Ms. Faraj was perhaps a "founding member" of the Riverwest Cooperative if she attended early planning meetings for it that went nowhere for years until Vincent Bushell purchased a building specifically with the intention of housing the store. At this point and for many years after when the business was actually developed, Faraj was not involved. At any rate the co-op has no recognized "founding members" per se. All members are equal with some differentiation like "lifetime members" who have paid in a certain amount. To my knowledge Faraj has never once been on the Co-op's board.

Additionally few will know what the Humboldt Yards Coalition was. It was the name given a group of people who opposed development of the Jewel-Osco / Columbia-St. Mary's complex at North and Humboldt because they favored it as a weed-covered brownfield. (Former railway switching yard.)